Another Radford

[triedandtestedteacher]

Is it me or are the Radfords a bit selfish? Loads of people congratulating them on social media about the new baby. I'm crippled with morning sickness at the moment and I know I'm not giving my dd 100 percent on this homeschooling as a result. How are they all getting homeschooled? How can they possibly attend to all the emotional, mental, physical and educational needs of those children? I caught one episode of their programme that showed her in hospital unable to attend her own son's birthday party because she was having yet another child. I know they say they're self sufficient with the bakery etc but they still use NHS and education resources. Her having that baby at this time is adding to the strain of the NHS. I just don't get how people can congratulate them

I do wonder at the mentality of having so many children. We have an only and it would have been nice to have 1 maybe even 2 more but. surely one of the joys of parenting is being involved in your child's life, building a relationship. watching their personality developing as the grow into adults.

Children are not toys, they don't just get to the point you get bored with them and pass them onto someone else to play with while you get yourself a new toy. It just seems weird to me.

There's no way any of those kids get any of the love and attention that they need. There must definitely be some sort of underlying mental health issue with her addiction to having babies.

She would have been pregnant before Covid-19 was around but I don't doubt she'll be pregnant again before it's over. I'm currently 22 weeks pregnant and had I not fallen pregnant when I did (right before this all kicked off) , I definitely would put a halt on trying. I'm terrified being pregnant at this time especially given I already have a toddler.

They're awful, absolutely dreadful. How anyone thinks this is acceptable is beyond me. How anyone has the audacity to call her 'superwoman' is utterly beyond me.

They’re utterly ridiculous. No child wants to grow up with a dozen+ siblings. They put their compulsion to have babies above the needs of their existing children and that is selfish and wrong. It’s simply impossible to parent effectively when you have that many children.

Thought I'd get slated. I agree with what everyone has said. Maybe she has some mental health issues. Sex at such a young age may mean that her sense of worth is somehow wrapped up in producing babies. It's such a shame for the kids

That Noel creeps me right out. If a 17 year old got my 13 year old DD pregnant. I’d have ripped it off him and chocked him with it. Surely to God that’s illegal. I have no issues whatsoever with saying that.

I also don’t know how they find the time to make these babies. Me and DP have got no little ones yet we just about find the time for
‘a bit of the other’

I think they’ll carry on having them right up until Sue goes through the menopause.
I predict another 4.

Also as well as not parenting their children properly what about their grandchildren?
They can't have any kind of relationship with their grandchildren and I think that's really sad

Her body must be f*cked

@ChandlerIsTheBestFriend - I appreciate she will need the support of the older siblings but I doubt she does nothing once they move out of the toddler stage. What about all the washing, cooking, cleaning, shopping etc that goes along with raising a child? My four year old loves to play in her playroom with her toys and to an extent is very self sufficient for a large part of the day.

Her having that baby at this time is adding to the strain of the NHS

The same applies to anybody but she got pregnant nine months ago and couldn't have predicted this.

I doubt she does nothing once they move out of the toddler stage. What about all the washing, cooking, cleaning, shopping etc that goes along with raising a child?

The older girls do a lot of that. As well as looking after the babies and toddlers.

Why they are lauded by people for having so many kids is baffling to me. There’s a reason contraception was invented.

As an aside I couldn’t imagine being in a lock down situation such as this in a family like that. Imagine trying to restrict supermarket visits to once or twice a week and constantly having loads of people ‘there’ all the time. Must be really difficult for the older DC. House must get trashed as well. Wonder if the bakery and online sales are taking a hit. If their business hits the skids, would the SM cash be enough to live on I wonder? Hope they have a contingency plan on how they can support such a large family, seeing as they make such a big thing about not claiming benefits.

@Peopleshouses - I used the term 'superwoman' in relation to her physical ability to carry and birth so many children, and deal with the newborn stage 22 times over; it's unreal. I would never choose this lifestyle but can empathize to an extent why she's like this based on her own early experiences. But still I can't get worked up about this situation like so many seem to be. So much worse to get wound up about.

I can't really get worked up either way. A big family is a novelty, and it makes sense that people would want to watch a programme about it.

I'm sure some of the kids don't like being part of a big family, and yes it's impossible to give attention to 22 kids. But from what I've seen, they all have a bed to sleep in, food in their bellies and parents who love them. Which is more than many, many kids in this country.

If we are lucky, we are all given the opportunity to decide on family size. She's made different decisions. Maybe what the kids lack in one to one time with their parents, they gain in other ways.

I don't really think it's anyone's business, the way I look at it is that the kids are clearly loved, fed and clean.

They've chosen to make it people's business by monetising their excessively large family in exchange for freebies, so.

@ChipsyChopsy I don't think it's really healthy to compare the radford children positively to the conditions of children in deprived and abusive circumstances. Yes of course they have a better situation than a lot of children. They also have a far worse situation than a huge majority of children and it's because of their parents choices and seems to be encouraged by the media

Loved, fed and clean is acceptable if you're living in Victorian England, not so much if you're raising your children to cope in an increasingly complex society where technological ability and educational attainment is very important and affordable housing is virtually non existent.

Wow lots of nasty people on here. What about live and let live. It’s their choice, leave them to it

They have a YouTube channel if you want to see a small snippet of their everyday life but from what I can see the kids are always vying for attention from their mum especially the younger ones

I used to like them but I don't think there quite right they seem to really be excited about having a baby, but when they get older or toddler stage you don't really see any attention towards them on their vlogs?

Their 18 year old DD is pregnant now too and due sometime the end of the year I reckon Sue will get pregnant again ASAP too join her.

It's a funny set up the kids seem happy but it does make me think if sue was unable to get pregnant ever again what type of person she'd become it's clearly an addiction to constantly be pregnant. I think the sun said the other day she's been pregnant for over 800 weeks

What about live and let live.

No-one is stopping them live. People are commenting on the information the Radfords publicise about themselves. There is a way for them to stop that commentary if they don’t like it.

@rosiethehen

Loved, fed and clean is acceptable if you're living in Victorian England, not so much if you're raising your children to cope in an increasingly complex society where technological ability and educational attainment is very important and affordable housing is virtually non existent.

^ THIS RIGHT HERE. They’re not equipping their children to live in the modern world, which is a form of abusive neglect itself. If a majority of them can’t read properly or use the internet, that’s educational deprivation.